Vistara readies for international flights; trains pilots with Scoot for Boeing 787

Dec 12, 2018

Vistara has started training pilots for Boeing 787 aircraft as part of its preparations to launch international services.

Sources told Moneycontrol that Vistara pilots will be deputed to Scoot, the low-cost carrier owned by Singapore Airlines that operates medium and long haul flights from Singapore.

"The pilots from Vistara will be based in Singapore as they do their type rating for B787," an executive from the industry said, adding that the pilots will fly for Scoot to gain experience, the executive said.

Earlier this year, Vistara had confirmed an order for six Boeing 787 Dreamliners. This was part of a larger order worth $3.1 billion. The order also included 13 Airbus A320neo aircraft.

"We are fully prepared to embark upon our international journey and to commence operations immediately after receiving necessary approvals from the authorities. We will be able to share specific details with you at an appropriate time,” said a Vistara spokesperson.

Vistara has been granted permission to fly international routes, civil aviation secretary ‎Pradeep Singh Kharola said on Wednesday.

A Vistara official said on condition of anonymity that the airline has crossed one more hurdle, but it is not there yet. “We are closely working with the ministry of civil aviation. Specific details will be shared at an appropriate time," a Vistara Spokesperson said.

Vistara had hoped to launch its international operations last year but did not get government approval then.

Vistara will also lease another 37 new A320neo-family aircraft from leasing companies.

The company has also inked letter of intent with Boeing for six firm-ordered 787-9 Dreamliner and purchase rights for four more aircraft from the 787 Dreamliner family.

While the narrow-body Airbus aircraft will be delivered between 2019 and 2023, the airline will take the delivery of six wide-body Boeing 787-900 (Dreamliner) aircraft between 2020 and 2021._________________10000 posts (and counting) on Airliners-India.

Vistara will reportedly launch its first international flight, from Delhi Int'l to Colombo Int'l, in September 2019, Sri Lanka's Daily News has reported.

The carrier secured a permit to fly internationally in March 2019, having crossed the required threshold of twenty aircraft in its fleet.

Vistara is reportedly planning to fly to Colombo daily using an A320-200neo aircraft.

According to the ch-aviation capacity module, SriLankan Airlines currently operates 14x weekly between Delhi and Colombo using A320-200s, A320neo, A321-200s, and A321-200neo.
Air India also operates the route 14x weekly using A320-200 and A321-200 aircraft.

Vistara is set to add six Boeing 737 aircraft, which earlier belonged to Jet Airways, to its fleet, making its first move to fill the space vacated by the distressed airline.

This is apart from a recruitment drive for cabin crew that Vistara is holding this week, which will attract applications from Jet Airways' employees who haven't received their salaries since March.

The Boeing aircraft will be new for Vistara, which has till now preferred to have Airbus narrow bodies. At present, it has a fleet of 22 Airbus 320 planes.

"Vistara will undertake a short differences training for pilots, crew and engineers to comply with Vistara’s standards and will be in operation soon," said a senior industry executive._________________10000 posts (and counting) on Airliners-India.

It also plans to add to its fleet three of Jet Airways' single-aisle Boeing 737 planes, along with some Airbus A330 wide-body aircraft. The formal discussions regarding this are expected to begin soon.

Vistara will induct Boeing 737s -- that once used to fly for Jet Airways -- in its fleet by the end of this month.

The Tata-Singapore Airlines (SIA) JV on Friday said it has leased four B737-800 NG aircraft that will be delivered this month and two Airbus A320neo which it will get in the second half of the year. Additionally, six more ex-Jet B737s will also be leased by Vistara taking the total number to 10.

Jet had a two class cabin, economy and business, while Vistara has three classes -- business, premium economy and economy. It has employed almost 500 ex-employees of Jet, including pilots, cabin crew, engineers and other staff.

Vistara CEO Leslie Thng said: “Our focus on serving the domestic market has remained unwavered even as we prepare to become an international airline. These leased aircraft will be deployed to meet the sudden drop in capacity in the market and to aid convenience of travellers.”

“Our decision to induct a different aircraft type in our fleet is a carefully evaluated one, which is both, economically and commercially viable, and will eventually help us take the Vistara experience wider and deeper across markets in India,” Thng added.

Ex-Jet Airways 737-800 VT-JFZ has joined as VT-TGC
Ex-Jet Airways 737-800 VT-JTA has joined as VT-TGF

These two have been repainted in to Vistara colors, while TGA/TGB/TGD are in the hybrid livery, will most likely be repainted, too. 5 more 737s are expected to be added, I suspect JFS/JFT will be there soon.

Interesting to note that of the 5 737s inducted so far 3 of them are HGW 737s which flew Jet's South East Asia and Middle East routes too. Perhaps international expansion finally coming Vistara's way?_________________http://www.youtube.com/c/JishnuBasu777

Vistara on Tuesday said that it has entered into a code share agreement with United Airlines which will allow passengers of both carriers to earn and redeem frequent flyer miles.

The agreement will also allow United Airlines to add its ‘UA’ designator code on Vistara-operated flights which would connect the Chicago-headquartered airline’s customers to more than 20 domestic destinations, including cities like Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Kolkata.

The codeshare flights will also offer connections to and from the daily flights that United airlines operates to Delhi and Mumbai directly from New York.

Ticket sales by this code share agreement will begin later this year, pending government approvals, Vistara said in a statement.

“This alliance will help us offer a vast global network to our customers and give us the chance of welcoming travelers from across the world to experience Vistara’s award-winning hospitality and service in India," said Vistara’s Chief Strategy and Commercial Officer Sanjiv Kapoor.

Vistara on Tuesday said that it has entered into a code share agreement with United Airlines which will allow passengers of both carriers to earn and redeem frequent flyer miles.

The agreement will also allow United Airlines to add its ‘UA’ designator code on Vistara-operated flights which would connect the Chicago-headquartered airline’s customers to more than 20 domestic destinations, including cities like Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Kolkata.

The codeshare flights will also offer connections to and from the daily flights that United airlines operates to Delhi and Mumbai directly from New York.

Ticket sales by this code share agreement will begin later this year, pending government approvals, Vistara said in a statement.

“This alliance will help us offer a vast global network to our customers and give us the chance of welcoming travelers from across the world to experience Vistara’s award-winning hospitality and service in India," said Vistara’s Chief Strategy and Commercial Officer Sanjiv Kapoor.

So UA would rather have a code share with Vistara than with Star Alliance carrier AI, it shows how poor the relationship is between UA and AI (and also between UA and Star carriers like TK, SQ, TG etc.). However UA and AI do interline and there are lots of itineraries which include both AI and UA.

So UA would rather have a code share with Vistara than with Star Alliance carrier AI, it shows how poor the relationship is between UA and AI

The US snootiness is not new. Both UA and CA had gloated on their respective websites when AI was not allowed entry into *A. Their snootiness in refusing to code-share has hurt them quite badly, with their now-suspended UA 82/3 B77E service barely managing to subsist, with indifferent catering, poor default luggage allowance, nothing-special leg-room in Y, and poor and grumpy FAs. The only positive side-effect of UA-AI talks was perhaps the then AI decision to lease 4 B789s for a small sub-fleet, after AI Engineering's severe aversion to go in for the type. AI then reversed their plans in light of the Government plans to sell the carrier, which did not work out, the last time `round.

iah87 wrote:

(and also between UA and Star carriers like TK, SQ, TG etc.).

That is poor consolation. Snootiness is snootiness.

iah87 wrote:

However UA and AI do interline and there are lots of itineraries which include both AI and UA.

AI interlines with all airlines for US itineraries: DL for one, and the excellent proactive move was inter-lining with B6 out of JFK as soon as UA pulled out. A coup of sorts, which got B6 some good feed, and Indian passengers, good connectivity out of JFK with the generous AI baggage allowance being respected. This worked out to be a win-win for both B6 and AI. I haven't taken a recent update on the situation, though.
Cheers, Sumantra.

...and just on the heels of this post, comes the announcement that UA is now suspending its BOM-EWR too. Unfortunately, AI will not be able to capitalise that much, in this climate (pun intended). A few AI heavies are in Mx, the barrel prices and the airspace closure, not to mention the load restrictions due to the idiotic WE highway billboard issue close to the monsoon season.
Cheers, Sumantra.

...and just on the heels of this post, comes the announcement that UA is now suspending its BOM-EWR too. Unfortunately, AI will not be able to capitalise that much, in this climate (pun intended). A few AI heavies are in Mx, the barrel prices and the airspace closure, not to mention the load restrictions due to the idiotic WE highway billboard issue close to the monsoon season.
Cheers, Sumantra.

I really wonder why the Ministry of Civil Aviation cannot prevail upon the BMC to have the billboards removed. This has gone on for too long._________________Save Maharashtra!

It's got nothing to do with "snootiness." AI apologists will continue with false narratives. AI is just a shoddy, inconsistent airline at every step of the travel process.

And as far as UA is concerned, they provide aircraft with functional IFE in every seat, an excellent PY product, lie flat J class seats with aisle access on the 77Ws that ply BOM-EWR (and increasingly on 77Es), acceptable food, on time performance, quick connections from EWR, and you don't have to constantly tell the check in agent to ensure that your FF # is entered into the system (AI are notoriously bad when it comes to that).

I just took the 77W from BOM to EWR in PY, and I would do it again, despite grumpy and harried FAs. The seats were brand new and comfy, the IFE was excellent, internet access worked seamlessly (for an AC at least), and transfer at 6 AM from EWR to RDU was the easiest I've encountered. I've seen far grumpier and harried on AI, in part because the hard product is often so shoddy, and pax are justifiably pissed off that IFE on a 16 hour journey isn't working, or that seats are broken. Which is unfortunate given their better Y class config, and 33-34" of legroom.

If and when this madness with the Orange pustulence in the WH ends, and UA are back to flying to India, should they prefer to team up with Vistara, so be it. And if Mr. Modi is serious about cleaning up corruption and sloth and waste in the Indian public sector, he can start with AI.

Sanjay: the snootiness is not with AI alone. As iah87 rightly mentioned, look at TK, SQ, TG. Most of UA's good code-shares are with LH, for one. SQ, TK, TG aren't by any stretch of imagination, what one would term AI-esque shoddy.

Most of UA's revenue comes from the paid seats up front, and they have a captive audience as well (official US travel to India has to be on UA, being the only US carrier to serve India). And yes, as you rightly point out, Y+ upwards, UA gives a rather decent hard product (and AI falls rather flat with non-functioning IFE and broken seats). Of course UA's connections out of their hub at EWR are excellent.

However, it would be hard to overlook how AI still scores decently in Y, with the four points I had mentioned: decent legroom (you also mention this), great food and good service, and good default baggage allowance (except the recent EWR rule, you put it as the `orange pustulence' ha ha!).
With regard to some other points: the AI FFP mileage accrual is much better than before (the check-in experience), and AI's DEL hub has to be experienced and seen, to be believed. The AI FFP is improving by leaps and bounds: even my *A miles are getting updated seamlessly, and I haven't seen any lapse of late. For a regular AI flyer like me, I am actually quite pleased at the system getting better and better. AI connections: since the last few years, one has to see the connections even at the other hubs (BOM, MAA, CCU) in action, to believe it: both domestic and international connections.

Sanjay: the snootiness is not with AI alone. As iah87 rightly mentioned, look at TK, SQ, TG. Most of UA's good code-shares are with LH, for one. SQ, TK, TG aren't by any stretch of imagination, what one would term AI-esque shoddy.

Most of UA's revenue comes from the paid seats up front, and they have a captive audience as well (official US travel to India has to be on UA, being the only US carrier to serve India). And yes, as you rightly point out, Y+ upwards, UA gives a rather decent hard product (and AI falls rather flat with non-functioning IFE and broken seats). Of course UA's connections out of their hub at EWR are excellent.

However, it would be hard to overlook how AI still scores decently in Y, with the four points I had mentioned: decent legroom (you also mention this), great food and good service, and good default baggage allowance (except the recent EWR rule, you put it as the `orange pustulence' ha ha!).
With regard to some other points: the AI FFP mileage accrual is much better than before (the check-in experience), and AI's DEL hub has to be experienced and seen, to be believed. The AI FFP is improving by leaps and bounds: even my *A miles are getting updated seamlessly, and I haven't seen any lapse of late. For a regular AI flyer like me, I am actually quite pleased at the system getting better and better. AI connections: since the last few years, one has to see the connections even at the other hubs (BOM, MAA, CCU) in action, to believe it: both domestic and international connections.

Cheers, Sumantra.

Official US travel does not have to be with UA. I know for a fact that it can be on any carrier with which UA has codeshare agreements.

I'm still waiting for my AI miles in J from last year to be added to my UA account.

Official US travel does not have to be with UA. I know for a fact that it can be on any carrier with which UA has codeshare agreements.

You are correct, Sanjay: yes, I have seen official US Government travel on LH, on a UA code-share, for instance.

Jaysit wrote:

I'm still waiting for my AI miles in J from last year to be added to my UA account.

This is bad, and quite unacceptable! I have been luckier on the reverse: my *A flights with OZ, NH and UA have got added to my AI Flying Returns account quite seamlessly. And it has been quite a while since AI missed accruing miles flown on their own metal. On the other hand, my B-I-L has had his AI Y miles added to his UA account quite seamlessly. He is a regular on the SFO-DEL-SFO route.
Cheers, Sumantra.

Vistara begins international service with Singapore launch in Aug 2019

Indian carrier Vistara today (11JUL19) announced the debut of international service, where it’ll offer service to Singapore from August 2019. On board Boeing 737-800 aircraft, the airline will operate one daily flight each from Delhi and Mumbai.

The ex-9W B737s those are HGW:
VT-TGC
VT-TGD (this one has seatback IFE, too)
VT-TGF

With 4 more 737s coming in here soon, I wouldn't be surprised if they are a few more HGW planes: VT-JFS & VT-JFT are newer Boeing Sky Interior equipped HGW 737s sitting around in Nagpur right now._________________http://www.youtube.com/c/JishnuBasu777

In a bid to reduce use of plastic, Vistara will stop giving plastic water bottles on its flights. The airline, on Wednesday, said that it plans to remove all individual-sizes 200 ml water bottle from its flights. The initiative has already been implemented on Delhi-Mumbai flights and will be extended to all flights across the network in a phased manner.

"This initiative was implemented on Delhi-Mumbai flights on July 16, and will be extended to all flights across the airline's network in phases over the coming weeks. Economy class customers, who were hitherto given water in small plastic bottles, will now be served mineral water in environment-friendly paper cups," the airline said in a statement.

Vistara also said that it has reduced single-use plastic usage and has a target of further reduction of 50 per cent this year. This initiative is part of a string of measures undertaken by the airline to be eco-friendly. Vistara also switched to renewable and bio-degradable sources for its in-flight packaging.

The airline is the only carrier in India to serve oxo-biodegradable cutlery and pouch to its economy class customers. "It has also replaced plastic casseroles with aluminium dishes in economy and China casseroles in Premium Economy, plastic straws and stirrers with paper or wooden ones, and disposable bowls in economy class with reusable ones," the airline added.

Vistara had also banned chewing tobacco or gutka consumption on board and at their facilities last year.

Vistara begins international service with Singapore launch in Aug 2019

Indian carrier Vistara today (11JUL19) announced the debut of international service, where it’ll offer service to Singapore from August 2019. On board Boeing 737-800 aircraft, the airline will operate one daily flight each from Delhi and Mumbai.

Vistara on Monday (06AUG19) announced its second international route, which sees the launch of Mumbai – Dubai route.
The airline will operate this route on daily basis from 21AUG19, on board Airbus A320 aircraft.

Vistara on Tuesday announced Bangkok as its third foreign destination after Singapore and Dubai. The busy rollout is going to be: Delhi-Singapore from Tuesday; Mumbai-Singapore from Wednesday; Mumbai-Dubai from August 21 and Delhi-Bangkok from August 27. All these flights are daily.

Like Dubai, Vistara will use its three-class cabin configuration — business, premium economy and economy — Airbus A320neo aircraft for Bangkok route. On Singapore route, the airline is using ex-Jet Boeing 737s with business and economy classes._________________10000 posts (and counting) on Airliners-India.

Vistara this week continues to announce service expansion for international market, which sees the airline adding Delhi – Bangkok service, from 27AUG19.
Bangkok is the carrier’s 3rd international destination, which sees Airbus A320 aircraft operates once a day.

Vistara will receive its first of six Boeing 787-9s in February 2020, according to the carrier's chief executive Leslie Thng.

Speaking today at the launch of the full-service airline's first international route — from Delhi to Singapore — Thng adds that Vistara is nearly doubling its fleet this year, from 22 aircraft on 1 January to a projected 41 by the end of December. As that process continues, it will take two more former Jet Airways Boeing 737-800s by the end of August, and another nine Airbus A320neos by the end of the year.

The two ex-Jet 737s will be the last of nine that Vistara has committed to take.

Thng is coy about what route will be served by Vistara's first 787-9, but states that the aircraft "gives us the flexibility" to fly nonstop to Europe and North Asia.

He also points to the airline's current partnerships as indications of possible 787-9 routes. Vistara has codeshare agreements with Singapore Airlines, Japan Airlines, British Airways and United Airlines.

Cirium’s Fleets Analyzer shows that Vistara has 49 aircraft on order. Apart from the six Boeing 787-9s, it is due to receive 37 A320neos and six A321neos._________________10000 posts (and counting) on Airliners-India.

It seems Vistara are dropping their non-stop Bombay-Amritsar flight. So it's now Indigo and Spicejet with a daily service and Air India on weekends.

Given Vistara's limited BOM slots, they should focus on key business routes, must have tourist routes (like Goa) and key international connector routes. My guess is BOM-ATQ is not super business and Vistara is better served pushing connecting traffic through DEL.

Heard that the first routes are going to be DEL-BOM, DEL-HYD and DEL-NRT. Can someone confirm?_________________I don't know which is the more pampered bunch : AI's widebodies (the aunties) or Jet's widebodies (the planes).
-Jasepl